Developing Paper Style Secret Techniques

Asuma shuddered in fright and quickly spun around, gripping his two knuckle-duster-like chakra blades as he hurriedly blocked.

Clang!

The crisp impact numbed Asuma's arms, yet he still stubbornly muttered, "Damn it! You actually dared to sneak attack me!"

Seeing Asuma restrained, another Kusa Ninja tried to seize the chance for a sneak attack. Clutching a kunai, he quietly circled behind Asuma, aiming straight for his kidneys.

If that strike landed, Asuma would be crippled at best.

"Trying to pull something underhanded? Not a chance!"

Aragaki Yasushi reacted swiftly and immediately made his move. One of his arms transformed directly into a barbed paper shield. With a fierce charge, he sent the ambushing Kusa Ninja flying.

Moreover, the instant the paper spikes on the shield touched the Kusa Ninja's body, they grew like wild grass gone mad, relentlessly lengthening as they pierced through his body and branched inside him.

In the blink of an eye, the Kusa Ninja was riddled with holes, without even a chance to struggle.

After dealing with the ambushing Kusa Ninja, Aragaki Yasushi turned toward the last one.

That guy was crouched in a tree, forming hand seals at lightning speed. He finished them in the blink of an eye.

The next second, several fireballs shaped like ghostly heads appeared out of nowhere around them, baring their fangs as they lunged at Aragaki Yasushi.

"This is... Fire Style: Ghost Lantern?"

Aragaki Yasushi recognized the technique immediately, and his heart skipped a beat.

"A secret technique passed down by the Grass Hidden Anbu? Looks like we ran into a tough one."

But his opponent was actually using Fire Style?

His paper body could not withstand being burned.

Even so, Aragaki Yasushi did not panic in the slightest. With a thought—

Energy Scroll, get to work!

The next second, the Energy Scroll floated before him and fired another green beam.

With a thunderous boom, that Kusa Ninja was blown apart, leaving not even a trace behind.

Aragaki Yasushi snorted.

What era was this? Why was he still using hand seals to cast ninjutsu?

Meanwhile, the remaining Kusa Ninja had actually suppressed Asuma through his swordsmanship.

Asuma was forced back step by step, his face already scratched and bruised as he cursed nonstop.

But when that Kusa Ninja saw his two companions dispatched by Aragaki Yasushi in the blink of an eye, his face turned deathly pale. He no longer dared to continue fighting and immediately turned to flee.

Just as he was about to disappear into the woods, Yuhi Kurenai finally made her move. Her genjutsu activated silently.

The Kusa Ninja stiffened slightly all over, his eyes instantly going vacant. He stood there like a puppet, unable to move at all.

Asuma's eyes lit up at the sight. He rushed forward and slit the man's throat in one stroke, finally salvaging some pride as he stubbornly shouted:

"Hmph, trying to run? It won't be that easy!"

Aragaki Yasushi mocked him from the side. "You still needed Kurenai's help. You're embarrassingly useless."

Asuma instantly bristled and was about to snap back.

Aragaki Yasushi cut him off first. "Enough nonsense. What are you standing around for?

"Hurry up and clean up the battlefield. We need to relocate."

Though unwilling, Asuma merely muttered a few complaints before joining in the cleanup.

After all, those two explosions had been loud enough to alert half the forest. On a battlefield, exposing one's position was tantamount to courting death.

If other enemies were hiding nearby, the three of them might very well be ambushed tonight.

They would take turns keeping watch while sleeping, but it was better to avoid trouble altogether. Only by camping somewhere more secluded could they sleep soundly.

The three quickly cleared away the traces of the battle, carried the wild boar, found a more concealed clearing in the forest, and set up camp again with a fire.

While Yuhi Kurenai set up the pot and began cooking the pork and mushrooms, Aragaki Yasushi leaned against a tree, keeping watch.

He felt someone's gaze sticking to him.

When he turned around, Yuhi Kurenai was blinking at him, staring straight at him with curiosity written all over her eyes.

Aragaki Yasushi felt a little uncomfortable under her stare and asked, "What is it? Is there dirt on my face?"

Yuhi Kurenai gently shook her head and asked softly, "Yasushi, what was that scroll that could fire green beams?"

Aragaki Yasushi knew she meant the Energy Scroll.

But he could not exactly say that it was a cheat he had drawn from somewhere, a treasure from another world, could he?

Aragaki Yasushi's mind raced, and he instantly made up a lie without batting an eye. "Oh, that? It's a special ninja tool passed down by my ancestors. I heard it came from the Artisan Village, but I don't really know its exact origins."

Sure enough, Yuhi Kurenai did not press further and merely nodded lightly.

After all, information was life to ninja. Even the closest companions would not pry excessively into another person's secret techniques or ninja tools. Kurenai understood that boundary.

Besides, Aragaki Yasushi's excuse was not particularly far-fetched.

The Artisan Village was famous for crafting ninja tools and supplied them to the major ninja villages year-round. It was indeed capable of producing special ninja tools.

Many treasured ninja tools inherited by clans had been crafted by master artisans from the Artisan Village. No one would doubt the truth of Aragaki Yasushi's words.

Actually, Aragaki Yasushi's family background in this life was not bad either.

Although both his parents had died and he was an orphan, they had both been proper ninja during their lives. His grandfather had even been a genuine jonin, so he could be considered to come from a ninja family.

He could not compare with the Brahmins of Konoha's ninja clans, but he was at least a respectable Kshatriya, not a ninja born from pure civilian stock.

Thanks to Aragaki Yasushi's background, along with his desperate training since childhood, he had managed to pass the Chunin Ninja Exams and earn a Chunin position even before awakening his cheat.

After all, those civilian ninja could not even gain access to decent ninjutsu.

If their talent was ordinary and they failed to find a good teacher, their instructor was usually just an ordinary Chunin. Reaching Chunin was basically the end of their lives.

Before long, the night passed silently.

Fortunately, no blind enemies came looking for them in the middle of the night, and the three of them got a peaceful night's sleep.

When it was Aragaki Yasushi's turn to keep watch, he leaned against the tree trunk. Bored out of his mind, he began pondering Paper Style secret techniques.

That was right—genuine Paper Style secret techniques that could be openly displayed, not the counterfeit version previously disguised through the Paper Thief's magic paper.

After gaining the power to transform into an origami form, Aragaki Yasushi had developed a few ideas about Paper Style secret techniques.

Although the power that allowed Aragaki Yasushi to enter origami form came from the Magic Power within the magic paper,

he figured that the Magic Power in that paper could also be regarded as a special kind of chakra.

So he tried using his own chakra to imitate the nature of that Magic Power. After fumbling around and experimenting blindly, he had actually begun slowly developing Paper Style ninjutsu of his own.

Aragaki Yasushi was overjoyed by this.

After all, who would not want a secret technique uniquely their own?

Although Aragaki Yasushi's origami form was already plenty capable—good for ambushes, escapes, concealment, and everything else—

people could not simply be content with the status quo.

Aragaki Yasushi began making plans in his heart.

If he could continue refining and developing it, perhaps one day he could possess techniques like Konan's Paper Clone Technique and Divine Origami Technique. That would give him far more options against enemies.

More importantly, having genuine Paper Style secret techniques would make it easier to handle other people's investigations.

Aragaki Yasushi could not help feeling a little guilty.

After all, the Paper Thief's magic paper and the ninjutsu of the Naruto World were fundamentally not the same thing.

It would be troublesome if someone spotted a flaw someday.

But having genuine Paper Style would be different.